Osegi
Gaming·2 min read

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 review: a strong campaign and DMZ

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 delivers a tight campaign with no filler, solid multiplayer and a DMZ mode that stands out, marking a rebound for Infinity Ward.

A soldier in tactical gear advances through a war-torn city street in a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 campaign scene.
Image: Digital Trends
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Verdict

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is the best entry in the franchise in years: a gripping campaign with no filler missions, a solid multiplayer offering and a DMZ mode that proves the real standout. The reviewer paid $70 out of curiosity after the disappointment of Black Ops 7, and says the gamble paid off.

Campaign

The story weaves two threads together. In one, Price, now far past the moral line he once drew, hunts the remains of Makarov's operation and teams up with Valeria Garza and her cartel. He kills Makarov bare-handed in New York, then pursues Archer, the Russian defense minister, through Paris and Mumbai, where the cartel's disregard for civilians clashes with his own efforts to protect them.

The other thread covers North Korea's invasion of South Korea, driven by Ri Ju-Young's power grab. Archer backs the coup with Russian support and supplies an experimental single-use EMP aimed at South Korean infrastructure and military communications. The invasion unfolds in the present while Price's missions jump back to the lead-up, a structure the reviewer dislikes in principle but says is handled without confusion.

The two halves play differently: Price's missions are personal, gritty and heavy on hand-to-hand combat, while the Korean sections are full-scale war with tanks and city takeovers. The Korean characters, including conscript Park Hyun Jun and North Korean officer Ko Jin-Hyuk, are singled out as well written. The main criticism is Mads Mikkelsen's Archer: menacing in every scene, but underused, with little insight into what drives him.

Multiplayer and DMZ

Multiplayer is solid rather than all-consuming, helped by new modes such as Collateral, Kill Block and Inflation. DMZ, with its skill trees, bounty boards and varied missions, is the mode the reviewer enjoyed most.

For longtime fans worn down by recent releases, Modern Warfare 4 is an easy recommendation at $70, particularly for the campaign and DMZ.

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Tags:call of dutymodern warfare 4infinity warddmzreviewactivision

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